Girl power

Tezz is about a train hijack and Ajay Devgn and Zayed Khan are my co-stars. Its an unusual role as I play a speed junkie who loves the thrills of biking. I have never trained for a film. But for Tezz,I learnt whitewater rafting and also a few bike stunts. Tezz is more of an Italian Job kind of film,which is quite new to Bollywood. And that challenge urged me to take up the project.

So you took some real risks filming Tezz.

Thats true. It is not easy as it sounds. One can get injured too. I am a professional scuba diver yet I faced a challenge during the filming of a particular scene for which I had to shoot under water in icy temperatures,as low as three degree celsius. I had to stay underwater with weights for 30 seconds before the shot started! That really scared me.

Is that one of the more difficult aspects of the film doing action scenes without a body double?

Yes. When I was told that I had to train for three months before the shooting began,I was not entirely convinced. But director Priyadarshan told me that I had to do the scenes myself. We realised early that because of the type of character I play,I couldnt pretend to be her; I had to be her. I could not use a body double but had to actually do those stunts. I trained for a couple of months to learn to ride a bike. I started off riding a Scooty,and when I got a hang of it,I progressed to a more sophisticated bike. Everyday was like an obstacle course and I found,to my surprise,that I enjoyed it.

Do you think the kind of character that you play in Tezz is rarely done by actresses?

Yes! It is a big responsibility too. Fans are expecting that they are going to see something new and different. Interestingly when we were in Scotland shooting the film in the middle of a forest I realised how important it was for me to be true to my character. There I was doing action scenes with Ajay and Zayed running through the woods. Women in Bollywood are rarely seen doing such scenes. The only roles we have been offered are that of wives and girlfriends. When you see tough girls in movies,its like they cant be sensual. I wanted to challenge those expectations.

Did you get hurt yourself during the shoots?

I had to do some risky stunts and during one such scene,my bike skid at a sharp turn and I was dragged for at least 10 to 15 seconds before the bike stopped.

Coming to your fitness quotient,did you follow a strict regimen for this movie?

I had to tone my body a bit so I just did yoga and swimming.

How was the experience shooting with Ajay and Zayed?

I have known Ajay for a while and I am really impressed by the way his career has been on the rise. He is one of the most consistent actors in the industry. As for Zayed,he and I have been buddies since college. So we had a blast shooting the film. My director Priyadarshan is the coolest guy to work with. He never gets any actor to do more than three takes!

Your first ever comedy Veti Tamil directed by Prabhu Deva that released last week has been well-received…

The film opened last week to a great response. People loved it. I guess the credit goes to Prabhu Deva. He is a task master and is really strict on the sets. A perfectionist,he expects every scene to come out well. There is one song that was shot in Pollachi which was choreographed by Prabhu. I would rate that song as my toughest one so far. Also he is very quick as a director. He doesnt delay a project unnecessarily.

How was the experience working with R.Madhavan in Vettai?

I play a British girl and Madhavan essays the role of a docile cop. It is a complete contrast to the roles Ive played so far. Since the movie was shot largely in the remote areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala,we enjoyed shooting in beautiful locales. Maddy was fun to work with. For a marriage scene that we were shooting,Maddy and I just could not stop laughing. The only people who were not laughing were my parents who didnt understand why their daughter kept giggling uncontrollably!

Will you continue to juggle between South Indian films and Hindi movies?

The amount of love,affection and respect that I get from the Southern audience is much more than Bollywood. I take all my roles seriously and the films I do down South are my priority. But it is very difficult for me to balance both the industries.